The present invention relates to personal care products, such as wipes and absorbent articles, that are capable of providing a skin health benefit to the user. More particularly, the present invention relates to wipes and absorbent articles comprising at least one fructose polymer that inhibits the adherence of flora to skin or mucosa.
A variety of flora may be found on the surface of skin at any given time. The adherence to the skin of problem flora, such as pathogenic bacteria and yeast, has been associated with numerous ailments, including skin infections, diaper rash, urinary or vaginal infections, and malodors. Various products are commercially available to clean the surface of skin and to remove problem flora therefrom. For example, wet wipes are commonly used to remove excrement and flora from the skin of babies. These wet wipes typically comprise a surfactant system for cleaning the skin and removing waste located thereon. In some cases, wet wipes may comprise an antibacterial agent, such as an organic acid, which can be used in combination with the surfactant to kill bacteria located on the skin's surface.
Also, various antibacterial soaps and cleansers are available to cleanse hands and kill flora adhered to the skin's surface. These antibacterial soaps are generally highly effective in killing bacteria located on the skin.
Although various products such as wet wipes and soaps are available to clean and sanitize skin, these products can sometimes be harsh on the skin after repeated use. In some cases, skin can become dry or chaffed, and the use of the sanitizing product must be discontinued until the skin heals. As such, it would be desirable to provide products, such as wet wipes, that could not only clean skin, but also keep bacteria from adhering thereto and remaining on the skin.